86 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[March 2, 1883. 



custom, may be of interest to your readers. Belonging to 

 us ranches, mills, logging camps, Indian rancheries, 



large herds of pigs -which, except when put into 

 pens for a few weeks to fatten, derive most of their sub- 

 "rorn beach combing. The salt, water flats at low tide 

 arc covered with stranded fish, crustaceans, etc., and large 

 beds of clams and cockles arc to be found almost every- 

 where. The pigs repair to these beds at low tide, and are 

 very dexterous in digging up tbe clams. During the digging 

 the" craft y crows seal themselves on tbe pigs' backs, TVIicaw- 

 ber like, "waitiun- for something to turn up" or be turned 

 up. Sometimes each pig will have its individual rider, but 

 if the flock of crows be large and the herd of pigs be small, 

 then some of the latter animals may have all the way up to 

 three or four- crows upon his back arid shoulders at one time. 

 The pig roots up a clam, crushes it in his jaws, and drops it 

 to the ground to divest, it of its shell. A crow hops down, 

 seizes cither the whole clam or a portion of it, and flies away, 

 or, perhaps, hops up again on the pig's back, and proceeds 

 to devour the shellfish, and after it is finished prepares for 

 another sweet morsel. If a whole clam is rooted out without 

 being crushed, and the crow succeeds in getting it, he flies 

 away and proceeds to open it in the ancient and accepted 

 manner, by dropping it from a height upon a rock, going 

 higher and higher, if unsuccessful in his first attempts, until 

 his object is finally acconipushed. Tbe most perfect friend- 

 ship and good understanding appears to exist between the 

 crow and pig, as no unseemly quarrels or differences of 

 opinion are ever seen to occur. Whether the crow ever 

 makes any return to the pig, lay ridding him of vermin or 

 performing other kindly offices, I have never observed, but 

 certain it is that nothing but the best kind of feeling seems 

 to exist between the biped and quadruped when feeding 

 together in this manner. As pigs were only introduced into 

 this pail of the world at a comparatively recent date, Master 

 Crow has been an apt scholar in thus "adapting himself to 

 circumstances in the way of obtaining a cheap clam dinner 

 through the assistance of his porcine Mend. Although not a 

 disciple of Darwin, still this demonstrates to me, at least, that 

 animals are endowed with reason to a greater degree than 

 many persons are willing to admit. To witness a herd of 

 pigs upon a seabeach ridden by as many or more crows, all 

 conducting themselves with an apparent unity of purpose 

 without any quarreling or contention, must, I think, be to any 

 person both interesting and instructive, and to a student of 

 natural history pleasing in the extreme; such a sight can be 

 seen in this part of the world almost daily. 



As some of your readers incline to the opinion that a nam 

 dt plaint?, detracts from the virtue of articles upon natural 

 history, and is otherwise objectionable, I have no hesitation 

 in dropping that of "Mowitch," by which I have been in the 

 habit of addressing you, and subscribe myself, 



J. G. Hughes. 



New Westminster, Jan. 24, 1883. 



THE SEAL ISLANDS OF ALASKA. 



A MOST fascinating work, issued by the United States 

 Comrnission<of Fish and Fisheries, is Mr. H. W. Elbott's 

 "Monograph of the Seal Islands of Alaska," just published 

 ial bulletin. This is not surprising, since the history 

 of these far-distant little specks of land on the broad ocean, 

 the habits of the remarkable, animals which inhabit them, and 

 the economic value of their products lend to them an almost 

 absorbing interest even to the most careless reader; and Mr. 

 Elliott, who knows more about these islands than any one 

 else, knows, also, how to write about them in a very pleasant 

 and attractive style. Besides this, he is an artist of very great 

 talent, and his work is generously illustrated with sketches, 

 which give a far better idea than any word-painting could of 

 the modes of life of the creatures he depicts. 



The subjects treated in this monograph must be given in 

 order to enable the reader to form any idea of its complete- 

 ness and the breadth of its scope. 



The geographical distribution of the fur seal is first taken 

 up, and this is followed by a history and description of the 

 Prybilov Islands and of the natives, the Alaska Commercial 

 Company and its business. We are then introduced to the 

 seal life on the islands, are given a life history of the fur seal, 

 the method of taking, caring for and shipping the skins is 

 described, and the economic value of the skins, oil and flesh of 

 the animal discussed. To the natives of these islands the sea 

 Uon comes next, in importance to the fur seal, and its life, his- 

 tory, mode of capture and economic uses are now described. 

 A chapter on the walrus follows, after which is one on the 

 reproduction of the fur seal, sea lion and walrus. Under the 

 heading, Illustrative and Supplemental Notes, a great variety 

 of subjects, geographical, biological, linguistic and economic, 

 are discussed. We are given catalogues of the mammals, 

 birds and fishes of the group, with some notes on the inverte- 

 brates and plants, all of which are interesting. 



A recapitulation and summary of Mr. Elliott's account of 

 life in a fur seal rookery will be of interest to our readers, to 

 most of whom this animal is but little known. Mr. Elliott says 

 that: 



First. — The earliest bulls land in a negligent, indolent way 

 at the opening of the season, soon after the rocks at the 

 water's edge are free from ice, frozen snow, etc. This is, as 

 a rule, from the 1st to the oth of every May. They land from 

 tbe beginning to the end of the season in perfect confidence 

 and without fear. They are very fat, and will weigh, at an 

 average, 500 pounds each. Some stay at the water's edge; 

 some go to the tier back of them again, and so on until the 

 wbokf rookery is mapped out by them, weeks in advance of 

 the arrival of the first female. 



Second. — That by tbe 10th or 13th of June all tbe male 

 stations on the rookeries have been mapped out and fought 

 for, and held in waiting by the "see-catchie." These males 

 are, as a rule, bulls rarely ever under six years of age; most 

 of them are over that age, being sometimes three, and occa- 

 sionally, doubtless, four times as old. 



Third. — That lie cows make their first appearance, as a 

 class, on or after the 1 2th or 15th of June, in very small num- 

 bers; but rapidly after the 23d and 25th of this month, every 

 year, they begin to flock up in such numbers as to fill the 

 harems very perceptibly, and by tbe 8th or 10th of July they 

 have all come, as a rule — a few stragglers excepted. The 

 average weight of the females now will not be much more 

 than eighty or ninety pounds each. 



Fourth. — That the breeding season is at its height from the 

 10th to the 15th of July every year, and that it subsides 

 entirely at the end of this month and early in August; also, 

 that its method and system are confined entirely to" the land, 

 never effected in the sea. 



Fifth. — That the females hear their first young when they 

 are three years old, and that the period of gestation is nearly 

 twelve months, lacking only a few days of that lapse of time. 



Sixth. — That the females bear a single pup each, and that 

 this is born soon after landing; no exception to this rule has 

 ever been witnessed or recorded. 



Seventh. — That the "see-catchie," which have held the 

 i om the beginning to the end of the season, leave for 

 the water in a desultory and straggling manner at its close, 

 greatly emaciated, and do not return, if they do at all, until 

 six or seven weeks have elapsed, when the regular systematic 

 distribution of tbe families over tbe rookeries is at an end for 

 this season. A general medley of young males now are free, 

 which come out of the water and wander over all these rook- 

 i ether with many old males, which have not been on 

 seraglio "duty, and great numbers of the females. An 

 immense majority over all others present are pups, since only 

 about twenty-five per cent, of the. mother seals are out of the 

 water now at any one time. 



Eighth. — That the rookeries lose their compactness and 

 definite boundaries of true breeding limit and expansion by 

 the 25th to the 28th of July every year; then, after this date, 

 the pups begin to haul back, and to the right and left, in 

 small squads' at first, but as tbe season goes on, by the 18th 

 of August, they depart without reference to their mothers, 

 and when thus scattered, the males, females and young 

 swarm over more than three or four times the area occupied 

 by them when breeding and born on the rookeries. The 

 system of family arrangement and uniform compactness of 

 the breeding classes breaks up at this date. 



Ninth. — That by the 8th or 10th of August the pups born 

 , :• first begin to learn to swim, and that by the 

 15th or 20th of September they are all familiar, more or less, 

 with the exercise. 



Tenth. — That by the middle of September the rookeries 

 are entirely broken up: confused, straggling bands of females 

 are seen among bachelors, pups and small squads of old 

 males, crossing and re-crossing the grounds in an aimless, 

 listless manner. The season now is over. 



Eleventh. — That many of the seals do not leave these 

 grounds of St. Paul and St. George before the end of December, 

 and some remain even as late as the 12th of January; but 

 that by tbe end of October and the beginning of November 

 every year, all the fur seals of mature age — five and six 

 years "and upward — have left the islands. The younger 

 males go with the others. Many of the pups still range 

 about the islands, but are not hauled up to any great extent 

 on the beaches or the flats. They seem to prefer the rocky 

 shore-margin, and to lie as high up as they can get on such 

 bluffy rookeries as Tolstoi and the Reef. By the end of this 

 month. November, they are, as a rule, all gone. 



Within the brief limits of this notice it is impossible to 

 allude to many of tbe extremely interesting facts in the history 

 of these curious pinnipeds which have been brought out by 

 Mr. Elliott's careful painstaking and long extended observa- 

 tions. It is certainly true that to him we owe a very large 

 part of our knowledge of the habits of several of the more 

 important species of this truly remarkable group. 



ENGLISH WIDGEON ON THE NEW JER- 

 SEY COAST. 



DURING the past two or three years several English 

 widgeon have been killed by the baymen. on the New 

 Jersey coast, in Tuckerton and Big Bays, near Little Egg 

 Harbor Inlet, but unfortunately no special value was placed 

 upon them. The fowl were plucked and sold with the varied 

 lot of ducks brought to the town, and thus valuable speci- 

 mens were lost to the collector and ornithologist. It would 

 seem from the manner in which the baymen spoke of them 

 as "red-headed widgeon" that the birds were not of the 

 greatest rarity in these waters. My man, Sam Smith, resid- 

 ing at Tuckerton, told of having shot two or three, the sub- 

 ject coming up directly after w T e had killed a pair of our own 

 widgeon or bald pates" that came to our decoys. I was asked 

 b}' Mm if I had ever seen a red-beaded one. I pricked up 

 my ears immediately, knowing he referred to the English 

 bird, and not wishing to have him think I would value very 

 highly one of these rare visitors to our shores, soon learned 

 by indirect questioning all I desired. At Tuckerton a Mr. 

 Kelly purchases from the market shooters all the fowl killed 

 by them, and ships them to New York. Most frequently 

 the ducks axe plucked, as the same price is given for them 

 with or without their feathers, and tbe gunners gain the 

 feathers for tbeh' wives. 



I have known of other rare varieties of fowl having been 

 shot at the points mentioned — a Uutchins goose by myself, 

 others by the baymen, only known to them as the ' ' little 

 goose" or "sedge goose," black brant, and several eider ducks. 

 It would be well if collectors wishing rare birds or fine speci- 

 mens of any of the varieties of water fowl, would put them- 

 selves in communication with Mr. Kelly and have him save 

 such birds as were desired. His charges would be moderate, 

 I am sure, and I doubt if they can be purchased as cheap in 

 the large cities. 



Another most excellent source from which to obtain speci- 

 mens of almost all the warbler tribe is to make the acquaint- 

 ance of the keepers of the several light houses (the first-class 

 lights, as the tower is higher) and get them to send the end- 

 less variety of dead birds that are so frequently found, in 

 spring and autumn, at the base of the tower, having flown 

 against the light during their flight in the nitrht. I expect to 

 be brought to account ior imparling this latter piece of in- 

 formation, for I am acquainted with one collector in particu- 

 lar who has obtained many valuable skins by this method ; 

 but as his cabinet is full to overflowing he should not object. 

 Homo. 



A Pond with Varied Visitors. — A sora rail was killed 

 in the month of November, on the borders of a mountain 

 pond near Kresgeville, Monroe county, Pa. The same pond 

 was vi-ited by a flight of loons — not tbe great Northern 

 diver — which remained but a day A lone Canada goose 

 was shot there also by Mr. Wells, of Curtinsville, Pa., a flock 

 of golden plover whistled on its banks, and the only otter 

 ev*» seen in the county was killed as it swam near the 

 wooded shore. All this variety in the space of a week. The 

 pond must have been situated in the direct line of the mi- 

 gratory flight of these birds, and being in an elevated coun- 

 try, it "was visited as a resting place, for surely no attraction 

 in" the way of feed presents itself, except it maybe the fish 

 of its wafers for the loon, and it would take a sharp loon to 

 capture a trout, especially the trout of this pond. — Homo. 



Sprin-g Notes.— Slingerlands, N. Y.. Feb. 20.— During 



the recent warm .spell, Wednesday and Thursday last, blue 



birds made their appearance in the early morning, to the 



number of half a dozen, remaining about the place all day. 



ually early for them to put in an appearance 



•j'orth as Albany? — C. A. Neede. 



jfa# m\& §>ttt(. 



"SPORTING NOTES IN NEWFOUND- 

 LAND." 



UNDER this title an admirable little work has just been 

 published at St. John's, Newfoundland. The author, 

 Captain W. B. Kennedy. B. N, senior naval officer com- 

 manding on tbe Newfoundland coast, has had three seasons' 

 experience of sport in the colony. He is a sailor who has 

 been all around the world, not "without seeing it," has shot 

 and fished in every clime, and being a thoroughly good all- 

 around sportsman, his opinion of the capabilities' of New 

 foundland, as a sporting country, must be received with the 

 weight and respect which is due to a veteran deer stalker, 

 a keen fisherman, and a first-class wing shot. Captain Ken- 

 nedy writes as well as he shoots; to all the readers of Forest 

 and Stream, therefore, we cordially recommend the perusal 

 of this little work, which has already reached the honor of a 

 second edition. 



It will interest alike the disciple of Izaak Walton, the hun- 

 ter of big game, and the lover of dog and gun; even the stay- 

 at-home sportsman, whose hands are innocent of blood, who 

 has never felt the thrill of delight which the gunner feels at 

 a good shot, or the angler experiences in the rush of a noble 

 fish or the whir of the eel, will be interested in the stirring 

 adventures "by flood and field" which the gallant captain has 

 so gracefully described. 



We select" three short extracts, one on trout fishing, another 

 on grouse shooting, and lastly the finest of all the sporting 

 scenes in this book, the deer combat: 



"Selecting one of Farlow's lovely "silver doctors," I com- 

 menced at the head of the upper pool, whilst Jim fished 

 below. About one-third down, a rise! and I was fast in a 

 31b. trout, which was speedily landed, and, to cut a long story 

 short, I took out of that pool before I left it eighteen others, 

 averaging from 21bs. to 31bs. I then moved down to help Jim, 

 who could not get his line out to the further bank where the 

 fish lay; so together we went down to the rattle and the pool 

 below. At this place we found the trout "jostling each 

 other," so thick were they that, although there were salmon 

 in the pool (we could see'them), they stood no chance, as the 

 more nimble trout seized the fly immediately it touched the 

 water. For upwards of an hour the fun was fast and furious, 

 as we generally were both playing fish at the same moment ; 

 the beach was sloping, gravelly, and clear of trees, so we 

 gave them the butt freely, and after a few rushes hauled them 

 out by the hair of the bead ! The strand looked as though a 

 seine had been hauled, the speckled beauties of 31b. to 41b. 

 lying about in all directions. At last the fish slacked off, as 

 well they might, and we hove to for a cup of coffee which 

 was being prepared for us on the bank. After a few min- 

 utes for refreshments, and to rest the water, we set to work 

 again, but the trout had had enough of our flies. 1 rose a 

 good salmon in the tail of the pool, and Jim hooked another, 

 which he lost. We then fished the pool over again, with a 

 small trout on spinning tackle, taking three brace more big 

 trout, after which I went up to the upper pool and took a 

 grilse with the fly, and half a dozen more big trout. 



"It was now 3 P.M., and we had a long journey before us: 

 so, putting our fish into a light skiff, which had been poled 

 up whilst we were fishing, we dropped down the river, and 

 then on board. Our bag weighed exactly 981bs., out of 

 which there were thirteen trout which scaled over 31bs., and 

 twenty-five over 21bs. weight. Not a bad bag to be made 

 between 11 A.M. and 3 P.M. I think after that I am justfied 

 in stating that, with proper precautions and fair play, the 

 rivers of Newfoundland would be second to none in any part 

 of the world." 



Captain Kennedy devotes but small space in his book to 

 grouse shooting, a true Scot, "his heart is in the Highlands a 

 chasing the deer." Caribou stalking is evidently his favorite 

 sport. His short notes, however, on the sport over dogs on 

 the Newfoundland barren are well put together and we can 

 certify from personal experience that all he lias written 

 about this special expedition is critically correct. Grouse, 

 or as they are all called partridge, are plentiful in the imme- 

 diate neighborhood of St. John's, but the enormous number 

 of shooters speedily exterminate the broods, and after the 

 first week in September it; is necessary to go some distance 

 from the capital to make a bag, 



"A very pleasant expedition may be made in tbe direction 

 of Salrnonier, a pretty village some fifty miles to the west- 

 ward of St. John's, where accommodation for a sportsman 

 can be obtained at Carew's Hotel. The road is good and 

 scenery beautiful throughout the route; and a stoppage may 

 be made either at Topsail, twelve miles, or Holyrood, twenty 

 five miles, at both of which places a decent hotel is to be 

 found. From Holyrood to Salrnonier is twenty miles; at the 

 latter place a few days may be pleasantly passed. The hotel, 

 though unpretentious, abounds with good cheer, and Mr 

 Carew and his wife are obliging, and attentive to their guests. 

 Fair sport may be had in this neighborhood with gun, rod pi 

 rifle, according" to tbe season. Asnipe. marshlies directly ui front 

 of the house, and a salmon river, to use an advertising phrase, 

 runs through the property. An amateur sporting parson, 

 who had never handled a rod before, hooked thirty grilse in 

 this stream in one day last season. At the back of the pre- 

 mises, a few hours' journey through the woods, there is an 

 extensive park or barrens whereon deer and wild geese are to 

 be found in the fall of the year. Leaving Salrnonier one 

 morning an hour before daylight, accompanied by an en 

 fhusiasiic sporting J. P., we drove down by the river till we 

 found ourselves abreast of a small fore-and-aft schooner at 

 anchor some forty yards from the shore. Opening fire upon 

 this craft with snipe shot to rouse out the crew, we 

 after a few rounds to wake them up, and soon goj 

 and in a short time were scudding out of the harbor with a 

 flowing sheet, A brisk N. E. gale carried us across the bay 

 to a small park tturty miles distant, where we landed and 

 Conveyed ourselves and our traps to a neighboring farm- 

 house." We received a hearty welcome from our host, and 

 .in all the village, the unsophisticated natives being 

 unused to visitors, turned out en masse to meet us and gave 

 us every information as regards sport, Curiously enough, 

 these people all spoke with a foreign accent, rolling the "r" 

 like a Frenchman, but with a ridiculous mixture of Irish 

 brogue as well. They declared the "patterridgea" to be jostl- 

 ing "each other on the barrens, and as for the salmon and 

 trout, "begorra. yer honor, they're as thick as the sands of 

 the say." The village was picturesquely situated iu a valley, 

 and unlike the generality of Newfoundland settlements, pre- 

 sented a well-to-do appearance. A lovely salmon river wound 

 its course through the valley, dividing into several branches 

 as it approached the sea, and variegating a considerable ex- 

 teat of rich meadow-land, which afforded pasturage for herds 



